Subject: Arts: Art & Artists

Artists of America Series

4. Thomas Hart Benton: "The Sources of Country Music"

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CINE Golden Eagle Award
This award-winning documentary offers a rare opportunity to view one of America's finest artists, Thomas Hart Benton (April 15, 1889 - January 19, 1975), working on the final mural he ever painted, The Sources of Country Music; just hours after completing the work he died in his studio with his brush still in his hand. Thanks to the cinematic touch of producer John Altman, viewers observe a unique, over-the-shoulder look at a master at work; the painting, we see, literally comes alive right before our eyes. Commissioned by the Country Music Foundation, the mural today can be seen at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee. Capturing a variety of nearly life-sized figures and cultural influences on country music, the six-by-ten foot painting also memorializes Tex Ritter as the singing cowboy. Throughout the program we discover why Benton was a leader of the American Regionalism art movement; his tenacity, his attention to detail, were a part of every painting he worked on, even at 85. A sensitive portrait of the man, here we are privileged to see an artist who mastered his craft and used his medium to bring America to life. Produced by Master's Mark Inc. 2010DR/CL IJSCA 30 min.